Sunday, May 28, 2006 11:47 PM

Hand Evaluation – HCPS ( Patterning Out )

PITBULLS:

The concept of “patterning out” in Bridge comes up very often. The technique of bidding your 3^rd suit even when only 3 cards in length describes your pattern so is commonly called “patterning out” . Why is patterning out associated with HCP’s ? This technique shows where your HCP’s are not located similar to a splinter so duplication of value ( HCP concept ) is discovered. This treatment is not done with a weak hand & trying to improve the partial. There is a standard Bridge understanding that it shows extra. Many times “patterning out” is a game try or a slam try. This concept is one of the assets of standard bidding. As every bid is natural , by bidding 3 suits you show shortness in the 4 th suit. This bidding technique has another excellent advantage as it pinpoints duplication of value.

You never splinter in partner’s suit that is a given . However, there is way of effectively splintering in partner’s suit with 2/1 auctions . This technique is called “patterning out” with a delayed raise. Partner opens 1♠ so you bid 2♦ . Partner bids 2♥ so you bid 3♣ to which partners bids 3♦. You now jump to 4♠ which shows your stiff heart & a mild slam try. Partner has ♥Jxxx so she bids KCB & 1430 is lay down !! Do not play advanced Q bids . Only Q bid when you have raised partners suit initially . Bidding naturally helps you pattern out .

The most frequent use of “patterning out” though is after a forcing NT. Quite often you rebid 2 of a suit after a forcing NT with an invitational range hand. Partner gives you a simple preference or bids a new suit at the two level. What now ? Forget about Q bids in these situations they do not exist. Opener now bidding a 3^rd suit is a game try or even a slam try. This is how you show intermediate hands after a forcing NT. Pitbull Pat & I had an auction which shows this concept nicely.♠AKJxx ♥Axxx ♦x ♣KJx , she opened 1♠ so I bid a forcing 1NT . She bid 2♥ , I gave a simple preference to 2♠ . She bid 3♣ as a game try so pinpointing her stiff diamond. I now had something to work with in an invitational auction . I now evaluate my hand depending on my diamond holding. ♠Qx ♥KQx ♦xxxx ♣Qxxx so I leap to 4♠ knowing that all my HCP’s are pulling full weight. What if I hold a maximum with diamond duplication of value ? ♠Qx ♥QJ10 ♦Q1098x ♣Qxx . I now know to jump to 3NT.

Getting to an alternative game in a major is a nice side effect of “patterning out” . ♠AJxxx ♥Kxx ♦AKxx ♣x , you open 1♠. Partner bids 1NT , you bid 2♦ with partner giving you preference to 2♠. You make a game try by bidding 3♥. Partner has ♠Kx ♥QJ10xx ♦Qxx ♣xxx so bids 4♥ !!

However, the best side effect of making the “patterning out” game try after a forcing NT is assisting in reaching the best game contract between 4 of a major & 3NT. Kiz Fung & I had a classic auction today in demonstrating a “patterning out “ game try. Kiz held ♠J9x ♥AKxxx ♦Q ♣AKxx , opened 1♥. I responded 1NT, Kiz rebid 2♣ so I bid 2♦. Now what ? Opener can make one stab at game but how ? Patterning out by bidding 2♠ shows partner your stiff diamond & does not go past 2NT . Kiz bids 2♠ & I hold ♠Ax ♥Jx ♦AJ9xxx ♣xxx . Knowing partner has an invitational hand with a stiff diamond , I leap to 4♥ which makes +620 . What if Kiz held ♠Kx ♥AKxxx ♦Q10 ♣AJ10x ? She would bid 2NT , I would bid 3NT so that is our correct contract.

When partner makes a systemic bid showing a fit , patterning out to show extra & guide you to the best game is the bid of choice. Here is Susan in action with ♠KQxx ♥AQ109x ♦Axx ♣Q . She opened 1♥ & I responded 1NT so as her club queen is singleton she did not reverse. She chose 2♦ but I bid 2♠ showing a huge diamond raise. The best bid to now describe your extra is “patterning out”. Susan bids 3♠ pinpointing her club shortness. I am also weak in clubs so I bid 4♥ which ends the auction & makes +650.

Here is the classic example of using “patterning out” after a 2/1 to show duplication of value & extra values. I opened 1♠ with ♠AKxxxx ♥KQx ♦AQ10x ♣void & partner bid 2♣ . I show strong 6-4’s by bidding by 4 card suit first so I bid 2♦. Partner bid 2NT so I now “pattern out” to show by extra strength by bidding 3♥. Partner bids 4♥ which now perfects the auction as I now bid 4♠ which should showing a very strong 6-3-4-0 hand exactly what I held. Partner held ♠Qx ♥AJ10x ♦Kx ♣QJ10xx so with his crappy 13 HCP , he drives the hand to 7♠. Change partner’s hand to ♠xx ♥J10xx ♦Kx ♣AKxxx so he now knows his 7 HCP in clubs is opposite my club void is horrible duplication of value , so he just passes 4♠ & I make +450.

Here are two recent hands where ``patterning out`` earned about a 30 IMP swing. You hold ♠xx ♥Qxx ♦xxxxx ♣KQ10 & you bid 1NT after my 1♠ opener. You give preference to 2♠ after my 2♣ bid so what do you bid when I bid 3♥ “patterning out” showing a stiff ♦ ? This is now a 30 HCP deck ,all your HCP’s are working so you try 4♠ which makes for +620 ! Very next hand you get to combine two hand evaluation concepts “fast arrival” & “patterning out” . You hold ♠void ♥AKJxxx ♦J10x ♣QJxx & open 1♥. I respond 1NT so you bid 2♣ to which I respond 2♠ showing a very strong club raise. Bidding 3♣ just because you have 12 HCP’s is weak bidding as you have a nice 6-4 pattern. So why not kill two birds with one stone & bid 4♥ ? This says we do not have the values for slam ( fast arrival ) but here is a choice of games ( patterning out ) . +650 is much better than -100 ( 6♣ ) which you get to by bidding slowly. This slow sequence gave partner the impression that you had extra values rather than the 12 HCP you held.

One of the problems with the SJS in standard & even intermediate hands for that matter is you cannot pattern out systemically below 3NT. Standard auctions get too high too fast just describing the HCP’s ( forcing 1♣ anyone ? ) . Perry Khakar is in the midst of trying to figure out a Gazzilli system which patterns out systemically below 3NT ! The Flannery 2♦ is a bid where 2NT asks partner to “pattern out” out systemically so tight games can be reached or avoided depending on duplication of value. I curse Charles Goren sometimes as he has brain washed too many Bridge players that HCP’s are the be all & end all in Bridge . They are not. The Culbertson concepts of fits , suits , & patterning out ( distribution ) are far more important Bridge hand evaluation criteria. The splinter is by far the most successful bid Bridge has come up with & patterning out is conceptually a splinter.

The splinter is not the only tool to identify duplication of value , bidding naturally does a nice job also. Natural bidding & “patterning out” . Do not leave home without it . This concept is one of the strengths of natural bidding. A cynic might even say the only strength of standard bidding.